Neil A. Carousso produces NewsNation original “Kurt’s Country” – a celebration of country music and a slice of Americana with host Kurt Bardella.
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Local Business Leader: NYC Should be the ‘Best Place in America to Work from Home’
By Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Manhattan’s economy has changed drastically in the three years since the COVID-19 pandemic uprooted New York. Still, not much has been done to address the new needs of residents and workers.
Office occupancy remains below 50% and only a small percentage of those who have returned are working in-person five days a week. As a result, businesses that once thrived in office districts are struggling if they even survived the pandemic.
“I think we should make New York the best place in America, if not the world, to work from home,” said Jonathan Bowles, executive director of the Center for an Urban Future, on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight, sponsored by Dime Community Bank.
“That’s gotta be part of the strategy and certainly converting some of those office buildings, the ones that allow it for residential, it should happen. We’ve got to accelerate and expedite it,” he added.
Conversions to residential use have stalled due to government red tape. Bowles believes creating more of a residential borough will create more demand for the kinds of goods and services that small businesses are selling in those districts.
“Manhattan, certainly, is one borough where we’ve really seen the aging of the population, and so that’s led to kind of more doctor’s offices, healthcare offices, other things that I think are catering to an older population and we may see more of that going forward,” the business leader said.
The Center for an Urban Future is also reporting on many opportunities for small businesses to service non-profits who work in disadvantaged communities and launch technology companies in markets that have not been addressed such as “women and family tech” in which women are the main consumers.
“New York has a chance to be a real leader nationally or globally in that sub-sector of technology,” Bowles said. “E-learning is another area where New York has seen a real growth in local startups. There’s just so many different facets of tech that are still strong here and I think that that is going to continue to drive a lot of spending on small businesses and also kind of drive employment growth in the city.”
See ideas for new businesses and new markets on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight video above.
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Jets Wrap Up Disappointing Season after Showing Promise Early On
Executive Produced by Carousso Enterprises, LLC.
New York, NY — Fans are lamenting the “same old Jets.” But mid-season there was excitement among the fan base that’s starving for a championship team.
Justin Joseph took the temperature of Jets fans at Stout NYC for NY2C’s On The Call.
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Celebrating the Holidays in Times Square
Executive Produced by Carousso Enterprises, LLC.
New York, NY — No city celebrates the holidays like New York!
Rachel Fisch talks to New Yorkers and tourists in Times Square for NY2C’s On The Call.
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Metro Area Soccer Fans Gather at World Cup Watch Party Hosted by NY Red Bulls
Executive Produced by Carousso Enterprises, LLC.
New York, NY — The New York Red Bulls soccer team hosted a World Cup watch party at the Oculus World Trade Center.
Justin Joseph talked to local soccer fans and checked out the fan experience for NY2C’s On The Call.
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In 2023, Businesses Face Changing Sales Landscape, Arrival of New Technologies
By Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The only constant in business is change.
Businesses are beginning the year with the damaging impacts of high inflation and lingering COVID-19 supply chain woes after mixed holiday results.
Bill Aulet, Ethernet Inventors Professor of the Practice at the MIT Sloan School of Management and Managing Director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, said business owners should brace themselves for new challenges.
“The biggest thing for business people.. is understand change,” Aulet said on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight, sponsored by Dime Community Bank.
“When you see something new, sit down, talk to your kids, talk to somebody else and say, ‘How does this affect my business?’ And do it before the other people do it. Use change as a competitive advantage for you because you have the right mentality. You don’t fear change. You embrace change.”
In a speech once, the former IBM executive told an audience that business owners must have the “mindset of a pirate and the skillset of a Navy SEAL.” In 2023, that means learning and accepting new technologies.
Most business owners, Aulet said, can no longer deny the use of artificial intelligence just like they had to embrace payment processing software and spreadsheets. Those that didn’t are no longer in business.
“I have a son who’s based in Brooklyn, started a company, he’s doing millions and millions of dollars the first year. I said, ‘How many salespeople do you have?’ He said, ‘None.’ Why? Because they’re using technology to do that now.”
He said AI is the future for sales because it will lower customer acquisition costs.
“What happens over society is you change to new jobs. You change the customer success jobs,” said Aulet on whether AI replacing salespeople is bad for the economy.
The new types of businesses being started by young entrepreneurs are not necessarily technology companies, though.
“They’re actually solving the problem of how do we identify when COVID or Zika virus, or now, polio shows up in a city in a region with a company like Biobot Analytics,” the MIT Entrepreneurship head said. “That’s the kind of stuff that young people are starting, and it gives me great hope because we as a society face great challenges.”
Watch the full conversation with Bill Aulet on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight video above.
